This Week’s Planets: September 11th — 17th

The Planets This Week: How will this week’s planetary influences be affecting you? There’s a Lunar Eclipse in Pisces on Friday 16th. This is the final eclipse for 2016. It follows a Solar Eclipse in Virgo on September 1st and another Lunar Eclipse in Aquarius on August 18th this season.

Also, just a reminder that Mercury is still retrograde. How has it been affecting you?

During this time and a few months after the Pisces Full Moon Lunar Eclipse, you may begin to see evidence of profound change not only in yourself, but also among people who you’ve opened up to. Having made an effort to be more compassionate, you feel good about the way you’ve touched other people’s hearts. Compassion is often lacking when there is such a huge gap between ‘haves’ and ‘have nots.’ You are helping to close that gap with kindness.

You are probably more in touch with your feelings now than other times. Highly sensitive to the nuance of subtle gestures that reveal other people’s true emotional state, you are valued for your keen sense.

Continue giving of yourself, for it is truly appreciated — and it does make a difference! In your personal relationships, your ability to be present with your feelings and your empathy make your interactions more meaningful. Great joy can come from spending time with those you love.

Romance is especially highlighted with this bright moon, so make sure to indulge in plenty of candlelight and kisses. As the moon begins to wane, you might want to spend time alone in meditation, getting in touch with yourself on a deeper level than you usually make time for. You may have some marvelous psychic visions that can guide you in the future. Replenish your spirit for the next cycle ahead.

A lunar eclipse occurs when the Sun, Earth and Moon line up with one another, creating an ‘Earth sandwich.’ A lunar eclipse can only happen at the time of the Full Moon, when a shadow of Earth is cast upon the Moon, darkening it.

Astrologically speaking, a lunar eclipse can have an impact on our emotional state and often affects relationships with others. The way you respond to crises may need adjustment when circumstances warrant a new approach. You may feel disoriented, excitable or emotionally wired during a lunar eclipse.

This Lunar Eclipse is forming a square to Mars which will be more intense for the mutable signs — Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces so this means you should watch out, because tempers could be short. It seems like everyone got up on the wrong side of the bed! We’re grumpy, coming on way too strong without even realizing it, reacting to the slightest provocations and making mountains out of molehills. No one likes being told what to do, so we’ll see a lot of people doing just what they want to do today — and you know how annoying that can be. There will be some who behave like hotheads and others who will be more than a little competitive. Before the day is over, there are sure to be more than a few ruffled feathers. So if we’re feeling grouchy, let’s keep that prickly energy to ourselves. Avoid arguments and temper tantrums. Exercise much more caution than usual, too, watching especially for cuts, burns and accidents, particularly ones involving the head (ouch!).

This impatient, jumpy energy can be quite irritating while it’s here. Suddenly folks are touchy and hypersensitive, taking offense where none was intended, becoming easily defensive and having emotional outbursts. It’s too easy to have one’s feelings hurt during this brief period and wounds that take only seconds to inflict may take much longer to heal. Impulsive or emotionally based actions are likely during this time, and usually won’t be beneficial in the long term. Tempers are short and arguments can easily ensue if folks give in to the self-indulgence or selfishness that this transit can create.

You bear many gifts from the worlds of sleep. More than most, your dreams teach the actualities of the future. Your tendencies are mystical but also prophetic. If you can free your mind from the desire to consume anything that produces a high, then the true elevation of your essential wisdom will come through without assistance. There is an emotional path there somewhere. Following it will bring you to the conclusions you have only ever dreamt about. Symbolic imagination is stored in the collective mind. You can unlock these secrets only by understanding your yearning to be free from the restrictions of the body, by moving freely in the places where the ghosts and spirits of the lonely and the repressed haunt. These watery pools are deep and cloudy. There is no way to really see the way that you must go. It is only through removing any doubt and allowing your faith in dream-worlds to be fully activated that you will move without fear. You have access to everyone’s dreams as well as your own. This gives you a powerful path to follow. There is much healing to be found in the unbridled imagination, and creatively you should pursue the less rational ways of providing an outlet to your visions. Colors sing loudly in your mind, and they must be given form if you are to realize the highest part of yourself. These opportunities must be taken if you are to avoid the more excessive methods of satisfying the urge for release. Engage your full awareness into teaching the sweet gifts contained in the imagination. Make the non-real as real for others as it is for you, and your mission will be complete.

Your awareness of the future world is unlike anything else. Your vision of where we can go with all our potential and knowledge is vast. Others don’t see the same things that you do, but this shouldn’t bring your level of positivity into any doubt. You have such a strong faith in the blooming of the future that all the doom sayers and woe-mongers are wasting their time. You play a key part in the injection of faith into the community. This is partly as teacher of mastery of the self, the inherent individuality of each member of the tribe, freeing the creative vibrancy of each component from the bonds that have prevented true freedom from evolving. This role is fulfilled through the spreading of wisdom and knowledge without any attachments to the past. There is such a glow of expansion from the future into the present that you hold its image in your higher mind for the duration. Having seen its light shining ahead you can maintain direction while still having all the motivations of a good solid education in traditional terms. You are open to possibilities, and the crucial ones will present themselves to you in the guise of the group experience. In these moments will be found the answers to the puzzle of individual growth. How you tread in the communal areas of life is a large part of your development. In the middle of the circle of friends is a spot reserved for you. It remains open to you as long as you don’t hold back your future vision. You are bringing through the fusion of many times and places, and you show others the benefits of synthesis. Purity of mind does not mean purity of experience, and your life will represent on all levels the journey of one who understands the essential flow of time and place. Letting others in on the act somehow is all that is asked.

Gemini — career, status, achievements, prestige, authority.

Finding the way that you can contribute the most to the world is uppermost. Your way of bringing a positive influence into social environments that affect a lot of people is crucial if the future is to be brighter. You are a teacher, in some quite vital way, of things the greater population needs to know. Disassociating yourself from outdated modes of seeing society is essential. You have a largeness of vision which extends itself into the role you play for everyone. You are likely to be very well known for your abilities and talents. Called upon to perform great feats of accomplishment in order for others to feel good about themselves, you are here as a bearer of wisdom shared with the world by your particular abilities. There is no fixed way of approaching the responsibility. You need to know this so that the weight that responsibility places on your shoulders does not restrict the freedom you need to be really successful. Individuality and vocation are completely compatible. You are called to infuse the world with growth, and through doing this you will grow also. Many powerful people will ask for your help. You will advise with authority and conviction, since your awareness of your position gives you the strength to be open with the truth. You need to apply faith into this role that you are asked to perform. Wherever you roam, those around you will recognize your wisdom. Pulling the highest motivations into your experience and using these as the driving force to success will satisfy you more than any status or financial rewards. You are a guiding force in society through the work that is truly yours to perform. Use this power wisely, and all the gifts bestowed on you will be available for everyone.

You have the best chance for really knowing truth if stop trying and allow its presence to arrive in your life. The best course of action is to let your higher wisdom take form in the more noble pursuits. Bring your mind to the top of its abilities through study of systems of thought, but don’t expect to find the truth there. Trying to piece together the whole of philosophy from different sources will only teach you to make the connections. The truth itself does not live in the words of others. You yourself are responsible for finding the way that suits you best. Your education is only a piece of the puzzle which gives you an edge in the ongoing search. Intuitively you should already know this, but your intellect is sure of its own designs. The path, the journey, is a continual process which you are always walking. There are no stops or rests for you. Gypsy ways of living are the road to wisdom. You can’t afford to stay too still since getting caught up in local customs and peripheral knowledge prevents you from seeing the big picture. Having a constant awareness of the whole world is essential. You have placed your faith in traditional modes of belief, and perhaps come to the conclusion that they are too stuck in their ways. Your faith in the process of searching is the revelation. It is the movement itself and the perspective it gives that teach you. Find the direction and go. Follow the dictates of your own vastly superior rhythm. Don’t stop to preach to others, but concentrate on experiencing your own realizations in person. You lead by example not by sayings. Sages rarely speak their beliefs but make them the totality of their lives. You are a sage in training. When you learn the wisdom inherent in your own life’s journey, then you may finally rest content in the knowledge this brings.

Engaging an enthusiasm for transformation is the path you seek. Be aware of the multiple opportunities for this to occur. This is not as easy as it sounds, and you should mobilize your highest determination into being prepared to change. The growth principle you need lies submerged in the depths and the darker realms, and so you will need to confront your faith and doubt before even going there. You will have many encounters with your shadow self, which often seems larger than you are. The light is cast at such an angle as to produce an exaggerated shape. It is an illusion, for your conscious self and your shadow are the same size. Once you realize this you will make great strides into learning all you can from the submerged part of you. It is a wise teacher that can point you in the direction you must walk to become the person you know you can become. Trust your whole self that is both light and dark. The deeper parts of you are immersed in a world unlike this one and what is learned there reveals what needs to be different here. If you can tap into your secret source of power then you will be unstoppable. Use your sexual drive in the highest manner possible and the understanding released will be an enlightenment unlike anything the formal religions tell you about. Your walk with the angry one, the bitter one and the jealous one, will be the education you didn’t get in school. Expanding your idea of yourself to include all facets of experience, however grim and depressing, is an illuminating experience. The truth of the deep recesses vibrates at a rate so low that you cannot hear its full effect. You need to be down there where the drums are deafening in order to blend the darker tones into your life. Full spectrum sound awaits you. Its power is awesome, and when you sing along with it, your life expands like water rhythms flowing.

Virgo — marriage, business partnerships, agreements, and rivals.

You are lucky in love because you realize that the only way to real relationships is through trust. You have faith always that others will provide you with the chance to be yourself. You are simultaneously the teacher and the student when it comes to partnerships. You have much to learn about sharing with another. You have much to teach involving the wisdom which two people can bring to one another. Staying focused on positive expression of commitment for each other will always bring your togetherness into the highest realms. Your unbridled generosity for your partner is the path to finding fulfillment. Applying yourself into understanding the roles we play in relationships will provide you with ample wisdom to share with others. You might be engaged in the education of better ways to relate. The most elevated concepts, ideals and ways of seeing others are difficult for others to perceive. You are a large and broad mirror in which others can see themselves. You will tend to make others the mirror in which you can see your own truth staring back at you. Any excesses or laziness will reflect its way back to you early on. As you mature you wisdom is seen in others. Then as the future form of relationship makes itself very clear to you, so will the people you meet present you with opportunities to explore these ways. With another you can flow with life’s current and take it to the sea. With another you can become a brighter part of the whole. Use your heightened senses to identify the ones who can be a large part of your life. You’ll never worry about rightness or compatibility if you understand that everyone can teach you something, and that you fulfill a similar role for them.

Libra –health, diet and fitness, daily routine, employees, pets and being of service.

Opportunities arrive in unusual and unexpected ways. The most mundane of tasks will often present the very spark you need to grow. Daily routine and places of employment will be areas of learning. Throwing yourself into the tasks at hand as a way to get to the future is your primary path. Walk steadily through the daily wonders of life, thinking not of where they will lead, and listen for the essential wisdom comes through for you. There is not a single place that does not hold something you can use to further your cause. The smallest things that seem unimportant will present you with many chances to evolve. Explore the details of every situation with an open mind and the possibilities for fusing them into something larger and more grand will be obvious. You have the potential for bringing vast improvements into anything you turn to, so starting with the small things that others have missed will give you ample room to work. Your body holds much wisdom for you, and paying attention to all things healthy will provide you with learning opportunities. You are likely to find that you fulfill a teaching role for others in this regard. Your depth of perception when it comes to the functioning and practical side of physical life is much needed. Your intuitive healing abilities may find an outlet here. Your touch is guided by a hand more knowing than your own, so physical therapies of all types will be rewarding ways to share your version of the truth. You could be a hands-on, faith healer. Real world experience is where you get directional guidance. Your ability to live in the flow is completely dependent on your ability to be as real as possible.

You have lots of creative energy, which will have many outlets. This is a very fertile area which requires your input. All aspects of self-expression lie open. If you choose to actively pursue the creative arts there could be wondrous repercussions. You have many talents and if you can get beyond the tendencies of laziness which occasionally diminish your enthusiasm, your exciting and vibrant mode of sharing wisdom will attract many followers. Love is a great game of exploration for you. Devoting your faith into every encounter will bring you much of the spark you desire in the romance. The fires of passion will be stirred by your incredible abilities to hold firm to the really important things in life: your innocence while being wise, your playfulness while being serious, your sheer love of life while tackling the tough side of ego. Infusing all the faith you can into your more creative self invites others to participate in your vision. Individuality is the most important trait that you possess, so don’t tone down your emphasis on self in order to be accepted. Recognition of your talents is likely in time. Leaving a legacy of proud announcement of selfhood is the way to optimum growth. The opportunities knock at your heart. Releasing the contents of your most prized possession generously, and being grateful for the chance, is the path to real freedom.

Sagittarius — home, family, parents and ancestors.

Your most fertile areas for exploration are your own roots, as far back as the earliest ancestor, or the unseen corners of your home, it does not matter. What you are revealing are the kernels of wisdom found within things that are intimately familiar, things that deep down you are aware of, but have forgotten. You will go far if you throw all your energy into being comfortable with those things. Intimacy and comfort have been two distinct entities. Your growth comes primarily through making sure that the zones you operate in are free. No residual doubt must linger in the family line. No negative distortions of the truth found on any bookshelf in your home. Clean out the past so that it is a vibrant sphere that can be depended on to support the future. Your emotional foundations are full of surprises that will shock you into being even bigger. You can give yourself a bounty of wealth here if you turn on to the fact that your tears and smiles are places of great opportunity. How you feel is directly connected to the ways in which you find comfort. Make these ways a result of wisdom brought into your life and your feeling state will provide you with the direction in which to move. You are more likely to travel from your armchair, so supply yourself with plenty of mental journeys with which to expand your home’s reach into the world; use maps and exotic locations as decorations. Don’t forget your overwhelming desire to know your own family. Within the annals of genealogy will be much learning. You could become the guru of genes. Teaching others how to appreciate the virtues of family life is rewarding. Be the master of your home and the flow is yours to follow.

Your ability to reach out into your immediate environment and bring into your awareness all the information you require is unparalleled. You are a veritable melting-pot of ideas toward growth. You encounter many streams of thought, currents of philosophy, as well as much of the mundane world which fascinates you. Don’t get fixated on one-and-only kinds of things. Multiple influences and strands of awareness are what you need. Keeping a flow of input from the literary, media and social arenas brings the right words into your mind when you need them. Information is the sphere where you can really move into your higher power. All forms of word play, whether written or spoken, are exploration zones for you. If you should be inclined, your brothers and sisters will bring you much focus and opportunities to grow. Yours is an active and exciting world of movement. Allowing yourself to move into this flow is a case of finding the direction and then going with it. Networks buzz with the energy of following your inspirations. Passing the words and watching them float into the awareness of others will bring you even more satisfaction. Having faith in the power of your language, and the light that words can bring to those in need, is part of becoming a complete and well-rounded messenger of higher ways. Activity and movement keep the channels open, and to do it any other way would be selling your considerable talents short. Consider the fastest and most stimulating pace that anything can take and go with it. Jump in head first to all currents that look promising and follow them until you find what it is you need. Bring in the wisdom of the words and place all your power behind what you say, and the gates of multifaceted opportunity will swing open.

Through your direct experience of the physical world, nature and the realm of practical wisdom will come all the opportunities you need to expand yourself. Being at home in your own body is a primary source of growth. There are many secrets and pieces of knowledge stored there which will provide ample direction in your journeys. Having faith in your abilities to survive the rigors of the physical world is essential. For the most part, you take the responsibilities of coping with a confident stride. There are not usually any holdups to your rounding up of resources. No matter what the comfort level you are accustomed to, you will find ways and means if you allow them to present themselves to you. No need to go looking for the mundane realities when they are right there in front of you. What requires a little more attention to detail is what it is that you really value. Finding the right blend of fact and faith is part of sorting the essential needs from the concepts you come up with in order to dream. Where you are headed is bonded tightly with the way that you get there. You have given yourself many chances to become more than you are, and lost them just as fast through the inability to bring them into the real world. Create a space where you can plant your ideas like trees. They will blossom if you wait and water them occasionally. Don’t expect immediate results, but keep the flow of future thoughts open. If only one plant in ten sprouts, you’ll still seed many forests to roam in.

Pisces — self, appearance, individuality.

Your whole persona vibrates with the influence of your faith in life. By believing in yourself, you bring all those experiences you need to become more than you are into your world. You are enthusiastic and knowledgeable, and these qualities attract people and events to you in order for you to grow. It is your own supreme self-confidence that places you in the right place at the right time. By keeping the channels open in whatever you do, your strongly intuitive nature will bring success and much opportunity. You are susceptible to excess overconfidence from time to time. Be careful that you do not lose what you have gained through arrogance and complacency. You have many ways in which you bring your firmly formed identity to bear on the world, and to make it better. It is through your direct experience with everything that you will expand. Focus on who you are in all situations where you are called to be wise. You wisdom comes from your own sense of self. There is very little else that you can do but allow this aura of confidence to spread to others. The positive energy you embody will take its time to become well-known. You must be prepared to use the smallest and most personal of moments to inject as many life-affirming currents as possible into your life. The upper parts of your mind are overflowing with bountiful ideas of direction. Being open to your own wisdom will allow these to flow out into your direct experience. You are your own teacher. Follow the sound of the voice within, and the path to what you search for will be revealed.

Ancient, unconscious flotsam and jetsam float to the surface today and, like a small invisible devil whispering in our ear, plant nagging doubts and secret suspicions that quickly loom large. We find ourselves scrutinizing our closest companions, wondering if they’re really where they say they are, and is that email relationship really all that innocent? Compulsive, obsessive, jealous thoughts run repeatedly through our minds. And based on what? Nothing but age-old and terribly outdated psychological history. Some emotional archeology is in order. Transforming these urges to control and manipulate others frees up our intense, amazing creative ability. This is not the time to cling to the past. People change and situations change. The more we resist, the worse it is. Our intuition about money and investments is telling us to hold back right now. Listen. And trying to buy someone off in a not-so-subtle attempt to guilt-trip or manipulate them is off-limits too. We can be on either end of the offer.

Monday 12th

Mercury retrograde in Virgo square Mars in Sagittarius — more an issue for the mutable signs — Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces

During the brief few days of this transit, tempers could flare and arguments may erupt. Many people are irritable and prone to risky or rash behavior — not dangerous, simply short-tempered. Some folks will pick a fight simply for the sake of fighting, and sometimes it really does feel good to raise our voices in indignation. Since it’s so easy to misread others’ signals during this time, it’s much better to ask questions and withhold judgment than to stomp off in anger. Explaining ourselves calmly also helps to alleviate this stressful energy. One thing’s for sure, though: We’ll move in fits and starts during this period, and very little will go smoothly. Communications flounder and concentration is difficult as our minds run off in all directions. We tend toward premature action, impatience and jumping to conclusions without all the facts. Laughing at ourselves will help diffuse this tension.

Sun conjunct Mercury retrograde in Virgo

Mental activities of all sorts are highly favored now, and we’re able to express ourselves clearly and authentically. For the most part, we are in a clear state of mind now, and good listeners, too, although we may be overly rational and not emotional enough in our perceptions. This is an excellent time for writing of all sorts: journaling, articles, stories (both fiction and nonfiction), books, blogs, letters and correspondences. Take the opportunity to read, study, do research and delve into the most interesting areas. Not only will we be able to learn, we’ll be able to teach, too. There is a playful energy in the air, so games of all sorts, particularly word games and puzzles, are more fun than usual. Reach out, network, meet people and form relationships. But don’t try to pin anyone down; they could change their mind at any moment!

Tuesday 13th

Sun square Mars — more intense for the mutable signs — Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces and part of this week’s Lunar Eclipse I discussed before

Watch out, because tempers could be short today. It seems like everyone got up on the wrong side of the bed! We’re grumpy, coming on way too strong without even realizing it, reacting to the slightest provocations and making mountains out of molehills. No one likes being told what to do, so we’ll see a lot of people doing just what they want to do today — and you know how annoying that can be. There will be some who behave like hotheads and others who will be more than a little competitive. Before the day is over, there are sure to be more than a few ruffled feathers. So if we’re feeling grouchy, let’s keep that prickly energy to ourselves. Avoid arguments and temper tantrums. Exercise much more caution than usual, too, watching especially for cuts, burns and accidents, particularly ones involving the head (ouch!).

This two-week period can be a fun-filled adventure, if we’re willing to take things into our own hands. This transit asks us to act independently and autonomously. We want to be like heroes, pioneering our way across the frontier. Fortunately there is plenty to keep us busy. We experience an ingenious breakthrough on a problem we’ve been gnawing on for a long time, or we may have some other original ideas that we want to try out now. We’re polite when we ask others to give us space. This adventurous spirit leads us to unexpected and rewarding places; it opens the doors to the future. Speaking of which, we simply can’t resist the latest innovation in the technology field right now. What will they think of next? A burst of physical energy tempts us to do twice our normal exercise routine. Rather than overextending ourselves, trying a new or unusual form of exercise would be more appropriate.

Now for your Weekly Horoscope…

ARIES

Make a conscious effort to let go of your fears and anxieties this week. The lunar eclipse encourages you to start to trust in a higher power or a collective consciousness — develop your spirituality and simply breathe.

TAURUS

This lunar eclipse teaches you about the value of teamwork. Try to spend less time fretting about what you want, and more time working towards a common goal with those around you. Happiness lies in shared objectives.

GEMINI

Your work life balance is in sharp focus this week and you may struggle to know which way to turn. Trust your instincts and don’t be afraid to make unpopular decisions. Change is on the way.

CANCER

Expect a strong challenge to your beliefs and opinions — you may have to justify your thoughts as well as your deeds. Remain calm and use logic to back up your points. Avoid making emotive arguments.

LEO

Are you comfortable and secure in your own skin? The lunar eclipse brings some identity related challenges, so it’s important that you gain the confidence to express who you truly are.

VIRGO

The lunar eclipse activates the love sector of your chart, making for a tense week in your closest relationship. Keep talking from the heart, and keep reaching out to your partner. Where there’s a will, there’s a way.

LIBRA

You’ve got the big vision, but have you got the detailed plan you need to implement that vision? Think details this week, and don’t become so consumed with the bigger picture that you lose track of the finer points.

SCORPIO

You may be forced to take a risk this week, against your instincts. The beauty of the lunar eclipse, however, is that you’ll ultimately be glad you did chance it. It’s all part of learning to be more spontaneous.

SAGITTARIUS

Put family first this week, even if that means work has to take a back seat. The lunar eclipse pushes you to prioritize your loved ones. It’s never too late to make up for lost time, so reach out and get involved.

CAPRICORN

A major change to your lifestyle may involve going back to school this week, or starting a new course of study. Opening your mind and broadening your skills can only be a positive thing, so get stuck in.

AQUARIUS

The lunar eclipse in your house of personal finance signals a need to look more carefully at your budget. Money isn’t the be all and end all of your life, but it’s irresponsible not to try to keep your head above water.

PISCES

The lunar eclipse in Pisces heralds a major step forwards in your confidence. Stand up tall now and make your voice heard — especially where it matters most, in speaking up for those less fortunate than yourself.